611.8331/26: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Egypt (Gunther)
15. Your 23, February 11, 3 p.m. The Department desires that you deliver to the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs a note substantially as follows:
“I am instructed by my Government to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s note of February 10, 1930, with regard to the [Page 744] intention of the Egyptian Government to put into force, from February 17, 1930, a new customs tariff, the proposed draft of which was published on December 17, 1929. In this connection my Government has noted that the Egyptian Government is willing to conclude with the Government of the United States a temporary agreement according reciprocal most-favored-nation treatment.
I am instructed to inform Your Excellency that the Government of the United States, while making full reservations with regard to all rights enjoyed in Egypt by the United States under treaty, custom and usage, is prepared to consent to the application to American commerce of the import duties provided for in Schedule A of the proposed customs tariff. This consent is given with the understanding that the above duties shall be provisional for one year, during which time the Egyptian Government will be prepared to receive and consider representations regarding the new duties, and with the further understanding that the Egyptian Government will conclude at an early date the suggested modus vivendi according mutual unconditional most-favored-nation treatment in customs matters for any period that may intervene after the application of the above duties and before the coming into force of a new commercial convention between the United States and Egypt. It is also understood that goods of American origin from whatever place arriving will upon importation into Egypt, be subject only to the minimum tariff rates.”
For your information. The phrase “from whatever place arriving” in the second paragraph above, is inserted in order to assure that goods of American origin shipped via any third country will not be subjected to double duties under the provision of Article 4 of the Egyptian draft law. Such a phrase appears in recent commercial conventions concluded by the United States.